The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1887-12-31
Correspondence Baltimore County Union.
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.


new British industry is the preparation Of
basic Stag for agricultural manure. Thematerial
is pulverized by machinery to such an extent
that the finished product wilpass through sieve
10000 holes to the square inch. The fertilizing
properties Of this Stag are due to the large pro-
portion Of iron and phosphoric acid which it
contains. $3.50 fit
. Forty-hve years of observation have shown that
the fifty three stars catalogued by Bessel in the
Pieiades nearly all have drift in space opposite
to our own. This drift is doubtless only apparent,
being due to the motion of the solar system. Six
Of the stars do not partake of this backward move
ment on occount of their extreme remoteness,
while two appear to move more rapidly than the
others on account of their nearness to US. The
former are SO distant that the path, moderately
estimated at 81 900 900 900 miles in length, trav-
ersed by the sun during the forty-fve years since
Bessel's measurements become too small to be
detected from them!
" ae4 HUMAN HEIGHT.
From archaeological evidence, an English writer
contends that the human race is growing taller,
the increase in average stature appearing to be
about an inch and quarter in each 1000 years.
Measurements of old armor show decided in
crease in the height of the English aristocracy
within 500 years. Ancient collins found in Great
Britain indicate that the Romans could not have
greatly exceeded five feet five inches in average
stature. Twenty five Egyptian mummies gave
an average of 81 inches for males and So inches
for females. The mummy of Cleopatra measures
about 81 inches, and the most ancient known
mummy of an Egyptian king is only 81 inches
long.
MIGHTIER THAN NIAGARA. s..
As possible theory of the origin of the Mis-
sissippi, Messrs. Robert Bates and John A. Reyes
suggest that its erosion was accomplished by means
of mighty cataract which began far down the
river near its original mouth, and by gradual re-
PROCESSION dug out the valley-like gorge which is
so marked feature in the upper part of its course,
and left the high bluff walls either hand. This
view makes St. Anthony's Falls the ever decreas-
ing and receding remnants of the once most stu
pendoRs cataract the world ever saw, having q
perpendicular descent of perhaps 600 feet. The
time required to cut out the entire channel is
placed at 100000 years.
-tHl A FRENCH FUEL.
The plan of utilizing coke dust by making it
into briqueites has been successfully adopted by
the Gas Company at Lyons, France. This is ac-
complished by mixing each ton of fine coke with
about 200 pounds of coal tar pitch, and then pass
ing through q COMPRISING machine. The total
cost is 81 per ton, and the product readily sells
for $3.50 to Sc per ton. The expense for the plant
with capacity of sixty five tons daily, was only
$4,000.
% SCIENTIFIC SECRET.
An effective method of petrifying animal bodies
was claimed by DIR. g. B. Massedaglia, distin-
guished Padua chemist who died more than forty
years ago. The secret of the process was left for
his legitimate heirs, who have only very recently
been found. The discovery SO long locked up is
now eagerly sought, and large sums have been Of
cred for it-thus far unsuccessfuly. a9
MISCELLANEOUS.
Disasters to eyesight are evidently more COM
mon than is generally supposed, judging from the
statement that more than 100000 glass eyes are
made annually in Germany and Switzerland. An
artificial eye seldom lasts more than five years,
the secretions of the glands turning it cloudy. h.
The River Turia, at point thirty-fve miles
away is to be utilized for running the factories of
Valencia, Spain, The 5000 horse power ayaila-
BILE will be transmitted by electricity. .s II
The transparency of molten iron, noticed dur
ing casting of several tons, has been recorded
BY Mr.. W. Ramsay. II had yellow tinge.
DR. Murray, of the Royal Society of Edinburgh,
estimates the mean height of the land of the globe
to be between 1900 and 100 feet, the latter limit
being probably the more nearly correct. Hum
boldts estimate of the mean height CT the conti-l
nents was 1000 feet. ,si asl
Prof. Lodges discovery Of a remarkable effect
of static electricity in freeing the air from dust
and vapor has been utilized by Mr.. j. &. Lorraini
in the construction of an apparatus for dissipat
ing the smoke produced by the discharge Of can
non. f.a II,
A French experimenter, NJ. Clingmann, ap--
pears to have successfully sought for material
superior to carbon for electric lighting. Pencils
of chromium will last, he afirms, for several
months in an arc lamp.
The idea of putting monkeys to work seems to
have been accomplished in Brazil where, accord
ing to report from Rio Janeiro, twenty of these
animals have been successfully trained to cut hemp
on a large hemp farm.
A Petroleum Exhibition is soon to be held in
st. Petersburg, in connection with which the Rus
sian Minister of War offers prize Of 500 roubles
for compact and practical battery for electric
lighting with incandescent lamps.
The bacteria of water and ice have been found
il. hail by Prof. L. Maggi, an Italian Psychologist.
Such organisms are well-nigh universal 1r,e'
- $500 = 4